Flush valve handle arrangement

ABSTRACT

Mechanism for operating the valve in the bottom of a water closet tank comprises a handle assembly with a handle pivotable about a hinge and in a plane substantially parallel to a surface of the water tank. An operating arm is connected to the handle and is pivotable about a fixed fulcrum, also connected to the handle, and in a plane located generally at 90* from the pivoting plane of the handle. Thus, in a water saver tank assembly, the operating handle may be mounted at the side of the tank, so that the handle is movable in a plane substantially parallel to the sides of the tank, and the operating rod is movable in a plane substantially parallel to the front and back surfaces of the tank. The handle assembly is molded in one piece from a suitable thermoplastic, such as polypropylene. By molding some parts of the assembly of relatively thin section, the parts are folded relative to each other to provide the proper operating arrangement of parts.

United States Patent 1 Korol i 1 FLUSH VALVE HANDLE ARRANGEMENT Stanley F. Korol, Mansfield, Ohio [73] Assignee: Borg-Warner Corporation, Chicago,

[221 Filed: Apr. 22, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 463,006

[75] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 4/67 R; 4/57 R; 251/232 [51] Int. Cl. E03D 5/02 [58] Field of Search 4/67 R, 57 P, 57 R, 61, 4/18, 62, 248, 63, 68, 52, 58; 251/231, 232

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 849,436 4/1907 Sullivan 4/68 1,074,411 9/1913 Crocker 4/248 1,288,691 12/1918 Schafer 4/18 1,344,128 6/1920 Griffiths... 4/67 1,492,762 5/1924 Straub 251/232 1,555,620 9/1925 Ayers et a1... 4/67 1,602,072 10/1926 Ga11agher.... 4/67 R 2,442,927 6/1948 Horvath 137/68 3,419,912 1/1969 Kertell 4/58 Primary ExaminerRobert 1. Smith Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Aubrey L. Burgess [57] ABSTRACT Mechanism for operating the valve in the bottom of a water closet tank comprises a handle assembly with a handle pivotable about a hinge and in a plane substantially parallel to a surface of the water tank. An operating arm is connected to the handle and is pivotable about a fixed fulcrum, also connected to the handle, and in a plane located generally at 90 from the pivoting plane of the handle. Thus, in a water saver tank assembly, the operating handle may be mounted at the side of the tank, so that the handle is movable in a plane substantially parallel to the sides of the tank, and the operating rod is movable in a plane substantially parallel to the front and back surfaces of the tank.

The handle assembly is molded in one piece from a suitable thermoplastic, such as polypropylene. By molding some parts of the assembly of relatively thin section, the parts are folded relative to each other to provide the proper operating arrangement of parts.

12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 Of4 3,922,731

f 1 gr/ SOURCE OF W4 TEE 65. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,922,731

US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet4 01 4 3,922,731

FLUSH VALVE HANDLE ARRANGEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the usual, modern water closet tank, the handle for operating the valve which permits water to flow from the tank into the water closet is mounted on the front of the tank and is fixedly connected to an operating lever for the valve, so that they move in the same plane. Side mounted handles, are known but generally in such arrangements, there is a fixed pivot for the operating mechanism, so that the handle which projects outwardly of the tank and the operating lever move in the same plane.

According to this invention, there is provided a water closet tank having a side mounted handle movable about an axis or hinge and in a plane which is parallel to the tank side wall. The handle is connected to an operating lever movable generally in a plane parallel to the front wall of the tank, and thus in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane in which the handle moves. The arrangement results in a more compact unit. A smaller tank facade is gained by a reduction in tank capacity which is required by some local codes i.e., the use of only 3% gallons of water per flush instead of the usual gallons of water per flush, without substantial modification of the water operating mechanism, such as ball cock valves and operating or flapper valves in the bottom of the tank.

The invention herein described includes in addition to the operating differences enumerated above, a novel handle assembly and a novel method of forming the operating handle assembly.

The handle assembly is preferably constructed of a thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene, which can be easily molded or formed by various well-known techniques. Also, when polypropylene is used, it has the requisite characteristics which insure a long operating life to the assembly.

The handle assemby is a one-piece molded product having various functional portions joined together by thin material, so as to be hinged when folded in a certain manner. The handle assembly is constructed to have a relatively long operating life, yet, because of its construction and the method by which it is made, it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a water closet flush tank having a side mounted operating handle according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is-a vertical cross-sectional view of a water closet tank showing the ball-cock valve mechanism and the flapper valve mechanism as operated by the lever arrangement of this invention, the flapper valve being in rest position in solid lines and operating position in broken lines;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the handle according to this invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the handle of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the handle of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the handle of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are respectively, a side, a bottom, and a sectional taken on line 1010 of FIG. 8 showing the handle as molded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Looking at the drawings, there is illustrated a water closet flush tank 10, having the usual cover 12, provided with a ball cock valve arrangement 14 of conventional construction (which will not be further described) connected at the fitting 16 to a source of wa ter, and a stand pipe 18 which communicates in the usual fashion with the water closet 19. The stand pipe is closed by means of a flapper valve 20 or other conventional valve means which must be moved from the stand pipe to permit water to flow into the water closet. Generally, the flapper valve 20 is pivoted at 22 and is connected by a chain or the like 24 to an operating rod 26 movable from one position to another in a plane substantially parallel to the front (or back) of the tank 10 by a handle 28 of a handle assembly 30 mounted exteriorly of the tank. The operating position is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 2. In this invention, the handle 28 is mounted on the side of the tank for pivoting movement in a plane which is substantially parallel to the side of the tank 10 (and thus substantially normal to the plane in which the rod 26 moves).

This arrangement permits the use of smaller than usual tank which, if used with the conventional front mounted handle, could result in an obstruction to the placement of the seat in an upright position.

To describe the handle assembly 30, attention is directed to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 of the drawings which illustrate the assembly 30 as it is molded as a one-piece unit from a suitable plastic, such as polypropylene. The unit comprises three basic portions, namely, the handle body portion 32, a rod connecting portion 34, and a tank connecting portion 36. The rod connecting portion 34 is connected to the body portion 32 by a relatively thin web of material which forms a hinge 38; the tank connecting portion 36 is connected to the body portion 32 by a relatively thin web of material which forms a hinge 40. The body portion 32 is formed and shaped to have a top surface part 42, by which it is depressed, and web parts 44 (connected to the hinge 40, 46 and 48, the latter being a guide as will be later explained. Also formed in the body portion is a dart part 50, the function of which will also be later explained.

The rod connecting portion 34, which is joined to the body portion 32 by the hinge 38, comprises a first part 52 and a second relatively flat part 54, the parts 52 and 54 being joined by a relatively thin web forming a hinge 56. As molded the part 52 has parts 52A and 52B at right angles to each other. (See FIG. 10.) The second relatively flat part 54 is formed with a rod socket 58 having a threaded interior to receive the threads 60 on the end of the rod 26. The hinge point of the hinge 56 passes through the interior end of the socket 58. There is also provided a slot 62 through which the dart part 50 passes when the part 34 is folded over and into the body 32 about the hinge 38.

The tank connecting portion 36 includes an exteriorly threaded generally cylindrical connector 64 which is adapted to pass through the side wall of the tank 10 and receive a nut 66 (see FIG. 7) to position the assembly in operational position. When in such position, the part 36 is stationary with respect to the tank wall. For use, the part 36 is folded into the handle body 32 about the hinge 40. The part 36 also includes guides 68 which straddle the guide web 48. The guides 68 limit the movement of the handle when it is moved in its plane of motion. 7

The connector 64, is cylindrical and has an internal opening 70 through which the rod 26 passes to be received in the socket 58. In addition, the opening 70 is provided with an annular ridge means 72 about which the rod pivots; i.e. the ridge 72 acts as a fulcrum, and, in addition, if required, permits some sliding motion of the rod with respect to the assembly.

In operation, one presses down on the top 42 of the handle, it pivots about the hinge 40 and causes downward movement of the rod socket 58 and thus pivoting of the rod 26 about the fulcrum 72, lifting the flapper valve to cause flow of water into the water closet. The hinge 56 permits any relative movement between the handle 32 and the part 34 to occur. Any sliding of the rod 26 is accommodated by means of the hinge 38. The weight of the rod 26 within the tank 10 causes the handle 32 to return to its rest position. FIG. 7 illustrates by solid lines the rest position of the rod 26 and by broken lines the operating position thereof.

1 claim:

1. A one piece handle assembly for operating the flush mechanism of a water closet tank by means of an operating rod, comprising a first part adapted to be fixedly positioned with respect to the tank and having an opening for said operating rod to pass;

means forming a fulcrum of said rod associated with said first part; and

a handle body directly connected to the first part by an integral hinge and having one end of 'said rod connected thereto, said handle body being movable about said hinge to pivot said rod about said fulcrum, and thereby operate said flush mechanism.

2. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which said fulcrum comprises an annular ridge formed within said opening.

3. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which said hinge is spaced from said opening and fulcrum.

4. An assembly as recited in claim 3 in which said hinge and said opening extend in the same direction.

5. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which said handle is movable in a plane which is substantially normal to a plane in which said rod pivots.

6. In a flush tank valve assembly for use with a water closet tank having an outlet with a valve seat, a valve means seating on said valve seat and being movable from said seat to permit the passage of water through said outlet, and means to move said valve means from said valve seat comprising,

a handle mounted outside said tank and rotatable in a plane substantially parallel to a wall of said tank, an operating means connected to said handle at one end and to said valve means adjacent the other end; and i means fixed to said tank forming a fulcrum for sai rod and being located between the ends of said rod; whereby rotation of said handle in said plane causes pivoting of said rod about said fulcrum and movement of said valve means from said valve seat.

7. In a flush tank valve assembly for use with a water closet tank having an outlet in the bottom with a valve seat, a valve means seating on said valve seat, said valve means being movable from said seat to permit the passage of water through said outlet, and means to move said valve means from said valve seat, the improvement which comprises;

a handle rotatable about a first axis and positioned outside said tank;

an annular ridge means received in a wall of said tank and spaced from the rotational axis of said handle;

an operating rod passing through said ridge means connected at one end to said handle at a location spaced from said rotational axis and connected at the other end to said valve means;

said ridge means forming a fulcrum for said rod, whereby rotation of said handle about said first axis causes pivoting of said rod at said fulcrum and movement of said rod end connected to said valve means for moving said valve means from said valve seat.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said handle is mounted on the side of the tank and is rotatable in a plane which is substantially normal to the plane in which said rod pivots.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said handle and said annular ridge means are connected together.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein said handle and said annular ridge means are connected together by hinge means.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 in which said handle, said annular ridge means and said hinge means are of the same material molded in one piece.

12. A handle assembly of one piece of material for operating the flush mechanism of a water closet tank by means of an operating rod, comprising:

a first part adapted to be fixedly positioned with respect to the tank and having an opening for said operating rod to pass;

means forming a fulcrum for said rod associated with said first part; and

a handle body connected to the first part by a hinge and having one end of said rod connected thereto, said handle body being movable about said hinge to pivot said rod about said fulcrum, and thereby operate said flush mechanism. 

1. A one piece handle assembly for operating the flush mechanism of a water closet tank by means of an operating rod, comprising a first part adapted to be fixedly positioned with respect to the tank and having an opening for said operating rod to pass; means forming a fulcrum of said rod associated with said first part; and a handle body directly connected to the first part by an integral hinge and having one end of said rod connected thereto, said handle body being movable about said hinge to pivot said rod about said fulcrum, and thereby operate said flush mechanism.
 2. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which said fulcrum comprises an annular ridge formed within said opening.
 3. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which said hinge is spaced from said opening and fulcrum.
 4. An assembly as recited in claim 3 in which said hinge and said opening extend in the same direction.
 5. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which said handle is movable in a plane which is substantially normal to a plane in which said rod pivots.
 6. In a flush tank valve assembly for use with a water closet tank having an outlet with a valve seat, a valve means seating on said valve seat and being movable from said seat to permit the passage of water through said outlet, and means to move said valve means from said valve seat comprising, a handle mounted outside said tank and rotatable in a plane substantially parallel to a wall of said tank, an operating means connected to said handle at one end and to said valve means adjacent the other end; and means fixed to said tank forming a fulcrum for said rod and being located between the ends of said rod; whereby rotation of said handle in said plane causes pivoting of said rod about said fulcrum and movement of said valve means from said valve seat.
 7. In a flush tank valve assembly for use with a water closet tank having an outlet in the bottom with a valve seat, a valve means seating on said valve seat, said valve means being movable from said seat to permit the passage of water through said outlet, and means to move said valve means from said valve seat, the improvement which comprises; a handle rotatable about a first axis and positioned outside said tank; an annular ridge means received in a wall of said tank and spaced from the rotational axis of said handle; an operating rod passing through said ridge means connected at one end to said handle at a location spaced from said rotational axis and connected at the other end to said valve means; said ridge means forming a fulcrum for said rod, whereby rotation of said handle About said first axis causes pivoting of said rod at said fulcrum and movement of said rod end connected to said valve means for moving said valve means from said valve seat.
 8. An apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said handle is mounted on the side of the tank and is rotatable in a plane which is substantially normal to the plane in which said rod pivots.
 9. An apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said handle and said annular ridge means are connected together.
 10. An apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein said handle and said annular ridge means are connected together by hinge means.
 11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10 in which said handle, said annular ridge means and said hinge means are of the same material molded in one piece.
 12. A handle assembly of one piece of material for operating the flush mechanism of a water closet tank by means of an operating rod, comprising: a first part adapted to be fixedly positioned with respect to the tank and having an opening for said operating rod to pass; means forming a fulcrum for said rod associated with said first part; and a handle body connected to the first part by a hinge and having one end of said rod connected thereto, said handle body being movable about said hinge to pivot said rod about said fulcrum, and thereby operate said flush mechanism. 